Abstract

A high resolution spectrometer has been developed for studies of minor constituents in the middle atmosphere at ultraviolet wavelengths. In particular, the instrument is intended for observations of upper stratospheric UV bands. The spectrometer has a slit width of 0.08 Å obtained by means of an echelle grating and a cross-disperser grating. The image plane detector is an intensified charge coupled device consisting of a high gain proximity focused image intensifier that is fiber optically coupled to a 2-D CCD array. An instantaneous bandwidth of 9.2 Å is resolved across 488 pixels at 0.018 Å/pixel, permitting simultaneous acquisition of multiple lines of selected OH bands and the neighboring background. The spectrometer and the approach have been successfully demonstrated as a technique for measuring the concentration of OH on two high altitude balloon flights. We report the instrument design and its achieved performance.

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